


Just An Errant Thought

by Kgfinkel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29977428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kgfinkel/pseuds/Kgfinkel
Summary: Inspiration can strike anywhere. One Shot compilations. No particular order, House or year will be followed. Slight to moderate  bashing of various characters depending on situation.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 41
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My thanks to Tris Day for encouraging me to write out and publish my Random Thought I originally posted in the Harmony Fanfiction K-T Facebook Group.
> 
> In this chapter: A comment made by Molly Weasley during one of her usual rants against her children's perceived failings sparks the motivation to look elsewhere than the usual career suspects everyone assumed Harry and Hermione would take.

**Just An Errant Thought: Something Molly Said.**

**Summer before 5** **th** **year at Grimmauld Place**

Molly Weasley was in fine fettle. Her dulcet tones could probably be heard in Düsseldorf thanks to the volume she was ranting at about the grades her younger children had gotten. The Twins never applied themselves, Ronald was being lazy, the usual…

"I just don't understand where I went wrong with you! Why couldn't you apply yourselves so you could join the Ministry like Percy and your father?" She continued to yell.

Harry sat on the couch and rolled his eyes at Hermione who was seated opposite him in an armchair ostensibly reading a random book she pulled from the shelf. He just didn't understand her reasoning for yelling at the three boys. Hell, even Ginny was getting a bit of the woman's anger directed at her and Ginny was supposed to be the family favorite! One thing did strike him as odd though.

Harry held his hand up to get the Weasley Matriarch's attention, "Mrs. Weasley? Was there a specific job you had in mind for them? Maybe if they had a specific target that you had in mind, it might get them to focus better? After all, there must be hundreds of jobs available?"

Gesturing broadly at Harry, she rounded back on her boys, "See? Even Harry understands! Thank you, Harry but no, I just want them to get _a_ job within the Ministry. I don't care if they're sweeping out the owlery at this point."

* * *

Later up in the room he shared with Ron, Harry was busily writing something down that had his full attention as well as that of Hermione's. Ron and Ginny entered quietly (well, as quietly as any Weasley normally could. Elephants on a rampage were quieter.)

"Hey, mate. Whatcha got there?" Ron slapped Harry on the arm in what he thought was a playful manner. Never mind that it caused Harry to jump and flinch a bit.

"Hello Ron. Ginny. I didn't hear you come in. There must be some thunder outside," he replied ruefully as he rubbed his arm. Hermione snorted quietly at his deadpan delivery. Subtlety and Ronald Weasley were not words spoken in the same sentence.

Ginny tried to sit down in Harry's lap but he shunted her off to the bed, "Not now, Ginny. I don't have time for your games. I have something serious to discuss with you two and the Twins. Hermione? Would you please go bring them down?"

A somewhat loud _crack_ was heard as the pair apparated into the room, "You call, and we shall appear. What's up, Harry?"

Hermione stood up and paced back and forth before the assembled Weasleys, "Boys… and Ginny. Something your mother said to us downstairs earlier made us stop and think about our futures. We all know that your mother wants her family to have nice stable jobs. In all her ranting, that has never varied. What Harry and I have realized is that in all that loudness, Molly Weasley has never specified _which_ jobs within the Ministry she wants you to get, just that it has to be there."

Ron was sitting there with a relatively blank look on his face as opposed to the slightly pinched look he usually had whenever she was speaking which meant he somewhat understood what she was talking about. Ginny was toying with her hair and giving Harry the cow-eyes in hopes that he would change his mind and let her sit on his lap. Hermione shook her head mentally; when was that twit going to realize that she stood no chance of landing Harry Potter when the boy had already asked her to be his girlfriend last year at the Yule Ball?

The Twins had a calculating expression on their faces; she could tell that they might've just figured out what she and Harry had realized.

"Let us see if we got this," George (?) started.

"Our dear, sweet mother…" Fred (?) picked up.

"…doesn't care which job we get…" replied George.

"…as long as it's within those hallowed halls…" echoed Fred.

"…of the bureaucratic model of inefficiency?" They finished in stereo.

"Exactly." Both Harry and Hermione responded in stereo as well. They glanced at each other and giggled. Hermione waved Harry on as it was his idea.

"So here's our idea. We took a look at the Ministry Directory and came up with a fairly short list of possible departments each of you could work in to satisfy your mother's demands."

Ron started whining, "But I don't want to work at the Ministry! I want to play as Keeper for the Chudley Cannons."

Harry managed to keep himself from rolling his eyes at his friend, "Ron, you'd probably be able to do both at this point. Regardless of which department you end up in, you'd be starting at the bottom. That means part-time work."

Ron nodded dumbly, "Oh. Well, that's different."

"Tell me what department you think I'd be best at, Harry," Ginny purred in what she thought was a seductive tone. Hermione thought she sounded more like a cow lowing.

Harry picked up the parchment and cleared his throat, "Ahem, alright. Ron? Let's start with you, eh?" Ron sat up a bit straighter, pleased that he got to go first for a change. "We can see you working at the Department of Sports and Games. You could eventually work your way up to the position where you'd be in charge of organizing and managing the Quidditch game rotations, tournaments and whatnot. You could introduce new games or retire old ones. Just think Ron, imagine adding competitive chess games and playing against some of the greatest chess masters in all of Magical Britain." Ron's eyes started glazing over the potential fame.

"Ginny? At this point of your life, you still have a few more years of schooling left so your options are rather limited. As good as you are at playing Chaser, both Hermione and I could see you at least trying out for the position with the Holyhead Harpies. There's also the possibility that you've inherited your mother's potion brewing talents so if by some miracle Snape is no longer teaching, you could very well become a world-class Potions Mistress." Ginny looked thoughtful at the advice as she nodded her acceptance.

* * *

Harry now turned to the Twins who drew themselves up in mock-pomposity, "Gred? Forge? We could see you starting in the Department of Mysteries." Both of them dramatically widened their eyes in surprise as their mouths dropped open. Hermione picked up the narrative, "Think about it. You both are geniuses when it comes to inventing stuff for your pranks. Imagine getting nearly unlimited funding and very little oversight to further study whatever catches your fancy? You wouldn't be able to tell anyone just what it was you were working on nor would you be able to let anyone know that you even _worked_ in the DoM but the pranking possibilities are endless. You want to own a joke shop? Imagine what you'd be able to come up with product-wise if you had a couple of years' worth of Unspeakable training under your collective belts?" Fred and George were practically drooling at this point.

Harry held up the parchment sheet and mentioned that there was one other name but it was a shame that Percy wasn't around any longer to share their views with him.

George cleared his throat, "Um, Percy does still come around, Harry. He meets with our dad once a week when mum is back at the Burrow picking up things or tending to the animals. It's only because of her he doesn't come around much."

Harry bowed his head before looking up at his girlfriend who shrugged silently, "Okay, when is their next meeting?"

* * *

The next Saturday, Arthur and Percy met on the back stoop to discuss the goings-on at the Ministry. The backdoor opened to reveal Harry peeking out to see if Molly was in the area. He smiled pleasantly when he saw Percy sitting on the bench.

"Ah! Percy, you're here. Just the man I hoped to see." Harry stepped out and settled into an empty chair.

"What did you wish to speak to me about, Mr. Potter?" Percy responded stiffly.

Harry pulled the parchment sheet out of his pocket, "It's just something that Hermione and I came up with after one of your mother's usual rants about how Ron and the Twins aren't applying themselves."

Both Percy and Arthur rolled their eyes in exasperation. Arthur loved his wife but even he thought she went overboard sometimes. Harry explained the back story and the resultant ideas that he and Hermione had come up with for each of the Weasley kids.

"So you have something in mind for me? Isn't it a little late? I already have a job," Percy commented.

Harry pursed his lips, "Well, you haven't been there all that long. I suppose there is the possibility that you could transfer? Anyhow, Hermione and I thought that you'd be a shoe-in for the DMLE on the law side working as a paralegal."

Percy looked momentarily confused, "A paralegal? What's that?"

Hermione came out at that moment and answered the older boy's question, "A paralegal is someone who helps the lawyer prepare for the court case. He or she preps the parchment work by making sure that all the forms have been filed, collated and ready for the lawyer's instant perusal within the courtroom. You would need to know the ins and outs of all pertinent laws and regulations, dates and times. You would be conducting legal and factual research, drafting court documents and correspondence, reviewing and summarizing records, filing documents with the court, maintaining files, and communicating with clients."

Arthur looked surprised, "That sounds like a job that was tailor-made for you, Percy. It might be something to keep in mind if the job you have now becomes too boring."

Percy tilted his head and thought for a moment, "Those cauldron bottom thickness reports are getting rather tedious…" he trailed off as the idea of this position percolated through his mind.

* * *

**Time Skip, Ten years later**

The younger Weasleys took Harry and Hermione's advice, mostly. Percy did transfer over to the DMLE after demonstrating his near eidetic memory skills to the head of the legal team. His organizational skills and attention to detail made him one of the most sought after people to help the lawyers build their cases. His reports were so detailed and thorough that it wasn't long before he was recommended for training to become an actual lawyer. Both Molly and Arthur were immensely proud of their ambitious son.

Fred and George Weasley became the Department of Mysteries darling duo; tackling some of the most head-scratching puzzles Director Croaker could ever come up with and succeeding each time. Their out-of-the-box thinking led to the discoveries of some of the department's most vexing problems. It was they who discovered just what the Veil of Death was originally used for. It turned out that the Veil was used not only to sentence condemned criminals to the afterlife (at least until Azkaban was built) but also to return the Dementors back to the underworld. According to their research, the demons were brought forth via a forgotten ritual to suck the soul from the condemned then use that soul as a gateway ticket through the Veil. As per their findings, the Dementors of Azkaban were herded from the prison to the Ministry along with a list of the prison's most hardened and violent criminal witches and wizards; the Dementors feasted then as one, they turned when they felt the call from the Veil and returned to the fiery pits of Hell or wherever it was they came from.

Ginny barely put in the effort to get some halfway decent grades, thinking that if all else failed; she could just become the wife of Harry Potter and live comfortably for the rest of her life. That dream was shattered beyond repair when she and her family received invitations to Harry and Hermione's wedding. To make matters worse, she ended up not being able to play for the Harpies because of those lousy grades. Instead, she got the job that Ronald was supposed to have. Ginny Weasley became the Department of Sports and Games' youngest Department Head in twenty years after Ludo Bagman retired.

Ronald did get a part-time job working in the Ministry at the same department Ginny did and that both Harry and Hermione had recommended but his sloth and general lack of drive eventually led to his dismissal. He bounced around from department to department, the Heads offering a basic position out of respect (and pity) to his father. Eventually no department wanted him, not even his own father wanted him around so Ron left the Ministry and applied to be the Keeper for his beloved Chudley Cannons. He got the position purely because there were no other candidates. He still plays to this day even though now he's a back-up for the team thanks to his growing weight problem due to his metabolism taking a hit thanks to his ever present feeding frenzy, forced the team manager to pull him from the starter line-up.

* * *

Harry decided to take his own advice and looked really closely at what he wanted to do with his life. After finishing up with his long-time problem regarding Voldemort and the subsequent celebrations and congratulations; Harry proposed to Hermione who practically tackled him to the ground while peppering his face with heartfelt kisses, repeatedly saying over and over that 'yes, she would love to marry him.' Harry decided that he loved being outside, chasing clues to mysteries, meeting new people and learning new skills. He once had the idea to become an Auror but quickly decided that chasing after every wannabe Dark Lord wasn't something conducive to a long and happy life. He thought about teaching but couldn't see himself sitting behind a desk trying to decipher students' handwriting for whatever topic he'd choose. It was Hermione at the end that came up with the perfect solution. Rather than try to shoehorn his life into the limited offerings of the magical world, Harry ought to think about going back to the muggle world and look for work there.

After a bit of soul-searching and examining the possibilities, Harry Potter went back to school and graduated with a degree in Archaeology. He applied for and became a field archaeologist for the British Museum of Natural History. He traveled all over the world and quickly became the go-to guy whenever the team encountered hostile forces. None of the team members understood what it was about him nor why but Harry always managed to get the locals to calm down and discuss terms for their safe passage. After ten long years of backbreaking field work, Harry was promoted to work within the Museum itself as an Assistant Curator. His first task was to put together an exhibit covering the world history of magic and how it was applied and viewed by the ancient world to present.

At first, the ICW was terrified that it would be the result of Harry's work that would expose their world to the muggles and sent out multiple requests for him to abandon the project but he refused. His exhibit was tastefully done and any demonstrations of magic were viewed by the muggles as being nothing more than parlor tricks and sleight of hand.

* * *

Hermione Jean Potter nee Granger decided to go against her original plan of working in the Ministry for the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures simply because Harry talked her out of it. He explained that the bigotry and narrow-mindedness that the purebloods always had would've made it impossible for her to get promoted or even respected. She agreed after speaking with some of the friendlier Ministry workers and other muggleborns who did work there. It wasn't long after Hermione convinced Harry to go back to the muggle world to continue his education that she decided to do the same. She got her degree in Library and Archival Sciences and eventually landed a job within the National Archives where she handled and logged legal documents going back hundreds of years. It was during her and Harry's honeymoon that a side project of hers garnered her international acclaim. After watching a documentary on television about the Voynich Manuscripts, Hermione managed to get herself an invite to see the documents itself. She surreptitiously and magically copied the Manuscripts when no one was looking. She happened to go into Gringotts to speak with their Account Manager about an investment opportunity that had arisen when the Goblin spotted her notes and the copied Manuscript and inquired where she got her hands on one of their ancient texts. To say that she was surprised by this would be an understatement. She explained the mystery behind the Voynich Manuscripts as well as what little translations that had been attempted over the years.

Her Account Manager got her an appointment with the Goblin King, Ragnok to see if she would be allowed to continue her research into translating the manuscript or if she could assist in its return to the Goblin Nation. As of this date, she and the Goblin representative were still in negotiations with the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

Harry was relaxing with Hermione on the beach at Nantucket Bay one lazy summer afternoon. She had her face buried within some book while he let his eyes roam the sandy beach. _'It's amazing how different life could become just because of an errant thought during a ranting speech from a harpy of a pseudo-mother.'_ He turned his attention back to his wife, or more specifically to his wife's midsection, which was just now starting to show the early stages of pregnancy and smiled.

All was well…


	2. Wandless Magic, Harry?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry discovers that wandless magic isn't so difficult to do. After all, everyone is equipped with five per hand!

**Just An Errant Thought: Wandless Magic, Harry?**

**End of the first week at Hogwarts, First year in Gryffindor House**

Harry leant back in his chair and let out a quiet sigh of relief. ' _Who knew that magical homework was just as tough as muggle homework?'_ At least he didn't have to worry about Dudley stealing it or messing it up. A movement from Hermione caught his eye and he turned to watch her practice her wand movements using her index finger. A flash of inspiration hit him as he cocked his head to one side.

"Hermione?" He started, getting her attention, "Could you do the movement for the wand lighting charm and cast it at the same time?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, not in annoyance but in puzzlement. She simultaneously picked up her wand to cast the charm but Harry stopped her.

"No, put down the wand. I had an idea while watching you practice with your finger. What if we didn't need our wand to do magic? I mean, seriously look at a wand. Doesn't it look like a conductor's baton or a teacher's pointer? What if we just used our finger as the pointer?" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"That…that's an interesting concept, Harry. Okay, let's see if that works." She swiped her finger up and said the incantation of _Lumos_ while channeling her magic. A soft glow started shining from her fingertip; it went out almost a second later as she let out a gasp of surprise.

Harry looked back down to his own fingers and tried it as well. His left index fingertip lit up with a slightly reddish tint but it was illuminated all the same!

"Harry! Do you know what this means?" Hermione gushed excitedly, "I've read that wandless magic is supposed to be super difficult and something that only the really powerful witches and wizards can do!"

Harry slowly shook his head, "That doesn't make any sense, Hermione. Why is that?" He glanced around the room and spotted Neville sitting by himself in front of the fire reading a Herbology book, "Hey, Neville! You got a moment?"

Neville looked up with a startled look on his face; he was still unused to people paying attention to him, "Um, sure Harry. What do you need?"

Harry waved him over and explained what it was that he and Hermione had discovered, "What I would like you to do is try the same thing. Everyone knows that you've been having problems with your wand so let's try removing it from the equation, as they say."

Neville glanced down at his slightly pudgy fingers then shrugged a shoulder, "Okay, why not?" He flicked his finger up like they'd been shown in Professor Flitwick's Charms class while saying the incantation. To his surprise and Harry and Hermione's exuberance, his finger lit up like a high powered torch.

"It…It _worked!_ That was _easy…"_ Neville breathed in a hushed whisper. He began to experiment with lighting up his other fingers and waving them around. Hermione giggled at the boy's antics.

"Well, now we know that there's something wrong with your wand, Neville. You clearly _aren't_ the Squib Malfoy keeps teasing you about."

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, the trio approached Professor Flitwick just as he was sitting down to eat.

"Professor Flitwick, we're sorry to bother you but Hermione, Neville and I have discovered something that you should know."

Flitwick had a jolly glint in his eye. He loved it when his students made a 'discovery' about magic, "Oh? Let's see it then."

All three went through the motions to light up their wands but without the wands. Flitwick, along with the rest of the present staff stared back in shock and amazement when their fingertips lit up in a brilliant white light.

"Y, you… All _three_ of you can do wandless magic? B…but you're only first years. Wandless magic takes decades of study!"

Harry shook his head, "I don't think so, sir. Like I explained to Hermione and Neville last night; what is a wand but just a pointer to focus our attention and magic to where we want it to go? Our fingers have done that since they first evolved. Our problem now is we don't have any other spells that we know of that we could continue this line of thought. I was also hoping that the three of us could be credited with this discovery. I know that _I_ don't want to be looked upon as 'of course Harry Potter did _that_ …' I have enough problems with the celebrity I unfortunately earned when I was a baby."

"Mr. Potter?" Minerva interjected, "What possessed you to even attempt something like that?"

Harry shrugged, "I was watching Hermione practice her wand movements with her index finger and I don't know, it just sort of struck me as an idea."

Flitwick was practically bouncing in his chair at the prospect of a new avenue of learning, "Well, I have to say that you should _definitely_ continue with this experiment. You're right, additional celebrity status is not something you should ascribe to. Why don't we go back to my classroom after breakfast and we'll try to see what your limits are?" The kids and surprisingly Minerva agreed with his assessment.

* * *

**Charms Classroom**

The trio of kids along with Professors Flitwick and McGonagall gathered in the former's classroom and got set up for a bit of impromptu lessons. Professor McGonagall was aware of Neville's problem with a wand and therefore needed this to work for the poor boy. A simple finger lighting charm was one thing but if he could utilize this same skill in her field, it could be a great boon for others who struggled.

"Ok, Mr. Potter," Flitwick began, "I want you to make a swish and flick with your finger. Think of the swish as a left hand facing capital S laid down on its face with the flick being the last leg of the letter. As you're doing that, speak the incantation of _Wingardium Leviosa."_ He then laid a feather on the desk, "I want you to lift the feather into the air."

Harry pursed his lips as he made the motion without saying the incantation, trying to get the movement down first. With a deep breath, he focused on the feather and performed the magic. The feather wobbled a bit and settled back down on the table. Hermione tried as well and managed to get the feather to lift off the surface by an inch or so. She released it and huffed in annoyance, "That was hard!"

Now it was Neville's turn. He squared his shoulders and let fly, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The feather shot up into the air and embedded itself into the ceiling.

Harry clapped him on the shoulder, "Nope, definitely _not_ a Squib."

Flitwick's mouth had dropped open at the sight of what had transpired before staring at Neville in surprise, "Well… I think a little _less_ power is needed, Mr. Longbottom. May I ask why you put so much into it in the first place?"

Neville shrugged, "I just did it like I usually try with my wand."

Flitwick pulled out another feather and suggested he try again but with less 'oomph.' Neville took a deep breath and focused his control on releasing his magic slowly. The feather smoothly rose up into the air and hovered about a foot off the desk before suddenly dropping. He let out his breath and started panting, "Hermione was right, that's hard to do."

Professor Flitwick congratulated him anyways, "Mr. Longbottom, there's a reason why we usually wait until Halloween or so before moving onto this charm. Magic is like a muscle; it gets easier the more you use it. What you just did was the equivalent of you trying to lift Hagrid while as a toddler. Do not worry yourself about getting it on the first try or not; it'll happen eventually."

* * *

Minerva was up next and had all three change a matchstick into a needle then progressed in difficulty all the way up to changing a mouse into a snuffbox. Harry got it on the matchstick to needle on the second try, Hermione and Neville on the first. By the time they got up to the snuffbox, all three had figured out that visualization was a key component and transfigured the mice perfectly on the first shot. She then instructed all three to try and change some random items into creations of their own choosing. Hermione picked out a book and thought about it really hard before transfiguring it into a miniature tree. Neville transfigured a pair of scissors into an ornate pot for a plant while Harry transfigured a ball into a copy of his own likeness.

Flitwick glanced at his colleague with an undisguised look of glee on his face, "Well, Min?"

Minerva gave a rare smile, "I think they might be onto something here."

"Ten Galleons says that these three will rock the education world by the end of the year."

"You're on."

* * *

The Hogwarts Rumor Mill was a legendary source of all things whispered about and theorized on. For the previous week, it had been rampant about Harry Potter's arrival to the school and what 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' was like. A lot of people were going to be disappointed; he was rather on the small side as compared to previous Potters, he knew nothing of the magic or exotic locales that he'd been rumored to have visited and he was a shy and humble sort of eleven year old. He was definitely not someone who would ordinarily expect to be sorted into Gryffindor. Even Professor Snape, the Potions teacher was surprisingly heard saying that Harry was not as much of a dunderhead like so many before him. (High praise indeed.)

Now however, there was a new rumor running through the Mill. Harry Potter, the muggleborn Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom of all people had mastered the usage of _wandless magic!_ Yet to hear it from the trio, it was nothing so glamorous. Each of them patiently stated over and over again that they'd be happy to teach anyone who wanted to try to learn how to cast spells without their wands.

The Ravenclaws lined up instantly; they would've had to hand in their Nerd Cards if they turned down an offer to learn something new. The Trio split themselves and had the others line up in front of them. Unsurprisingly, Harry had the most people in front of him. Getting an annoyed look on his face, he told the Claws (and the other three Houses) that he refused to continue until both Hermione and Neville got an equal amount of people.

About half of the older Gryffindors thought it would make their OWLs and NEWTs that much more interesting if they could get at least a couple of spells down (plus the boys thought it would make them look impressive to the ladies.) The younger years were hesitant about learning something so revolutionary. It came down to the muggleborns taking the initiative to learn a new technique, the rest were shamed into learning it later in the year.

The first year Puffs took on the challenge as they figured they hadn't learned any bad habits yet and if something did arise, it would be relatively easy to shake. After watching the firsties quickly learn the concept and put it to good use, the older Puffs soon sought out one or more of the trio.

The Slytherins…well, they _said_ that there was nothing they could ever possibly learn from a few Gryffindorks but it wasn't uncommon to find them peeking around corners and listening into the lectures and demonstrations.

* * *

Ronald Weasley was one of the few first years who adamantly refused to learn how to cast wandlessly. He tried to get the other Gryffindor first years to follow his lead but was soundly rebuffed. He also repeatedly tried to buddy up with Harry but Harry wasn't having any of it. He kept telling the boy that he was there at the school to learn, not goof off. Ron was heard saying that going further than necessary was just mental. Whenever Harry heard this, he'd roll his eyes and ignore the twit. _'A magical version of Dudley, he is. Like I would help him with his homework or goof off with him after all the crap he puts me through or his attitude towards Hermione and Neville.'_ The redhead's attempt to get him into a wizard's duel with Draco Malfoy was one such instance. After Weasley had left the scene, Harry had turned back to Draco and shook his head in derision, "Thanks for playing along, Draco. You were right, what an idiot. Now, would you and your friends like to meet in the library to study?" He held his hand out in an offer of friendship, "I also would like to apologize to you for my behavior on the train." For his part, Draco shook Harry's hand and accepted the apology and the invite to study.

* * *

By the end of the school year, 'The Geniuses of Gryffindor' as Harry, Hermione and Neville had become known as; were holding friendly study groups from all four Houses. Neville was quickly recognized as being the most knowledgeable in the field of Herbology while Hermione was tops in Transfiguration. Harry brought up the rear as being a Jack-of-all-trades. He made no claim to fame of being a Defense prodigy but could hold his own in just about any subject put before him.

Professor Flitwick had won the 'bet' between him and Minerva regarding their charges changing things up. Both were looking forward to next year's new intake to see if there was anyone else who could be taught to use wandless magic.

As they were finishing up before the holidays, Hermione turned to Harry and asked him if he had any other sparks of inspiration.

Harry adopted a pose of serious thought while rubbing his chin, "Well, quills and inkpots are so antiquated. I thought next semester we introduce the school to the concept of lined paper and click pens…"


	3. Trunks and Traps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a story I recently read (over and over again) called 'Quidditch Tales 1' along with its sequel 'Quidditch Tales 2 by potterlad81. One of the key features within his story is the usage of manor trunks. Within each space expanded trunk is the ability to create an entire world complete with a manor built to the user's specifications. I highly recommend reading both stories, they're lemony good. Anyway, the trunks were able to be moved around via house-elf and of course, I had a thought...

**Set during Seventh year (The Year of the Hunt), one week after the Escape from the Burrow**

"Harry? There's another trunk in here," Hermione asked him as he entered the living room of 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry glanced over to where she was pointing and smiled happily.

"Ah, good! Dobby came through; this is what's known as a manor trunk. They've got space expansion charms inside that give the owner ten cubic miles of room plus a house built to your specifications."

Hermione's brow furrowed, "Okay, that's amazing but why do we need it?"

Harry took her hand as he led her over to the trunk lid, "We can use them to train and live in peace and security. There's numerous security features in here that would make Mad-Eye weep happily." The mention of the scarred Auror weeping like an overly emotional child made Hermione giggle.

"Would you mind calling for him and the rest of the Order to come here in a couple of hours?" She nodded and headed for the floo.

In the meantime, Harry called for Dobby. When the slightly manic elf popped in, Harry knelt by his side, "We're going to be having some guests arrive and I would like you to escort them into the trunk. If you need me, I'll be downstairs." Dobby nodded his understanding.

Harry climbed down the stairs and into the trunk's control room to get out the trunk permission book. As he wrote down Moody's name, Harry took a moment to appreciate just how easy it was to slip away from Privet Drive that night he turned seventeen.

* * *

_**Flashback…** _

_Harry stood in his aunt and uncle's living room staring in surprise and a lot of gratitude at the assembled group of people who came to make sure he got out of there safely. At least until he heard Moody's plan for using Polyjuice…_

" _Wait, this is the most asinine plan I've ever heard and that was after spending six years in the castle with Ron and his constant whining about going on 'adventures.'"_

_Moody growled at him, "You got a better idea?"_

_Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh, "Yeah, I do. Several of them just off the top of my head at the moment. First, if we're going to be using Polyjuice, why don't we get the hair from a random muggle then just_ drive _me out of the area? I'm sure there's someone here that knows how to drive a car?" All the adults shifted uncomfortably, Hermione was the only one with her hand raised in the air. "Thank you, Hermione. I'd actually feel safer with you driving me out than going by broom which is what I would suspect the Death Eaters are planning I'd do."_

_Mad-eye looked a bit put-out actually, he'd thought that the escape by broom plan was fairly sound as did the Polyjuice trick, "Aye…I guess we could go with that but your uncle took their car."_

_Gesturing widely with one hand, Harry pointed out that there was a whole neighborhood of cars that they could hot-wire or barring that, they could easily call for a cab to come pick them up. The look on their faces was priceless as Hermione broke down in giggles as the magicals' grand plans were crumbling under the assault of simple logic._

" _Second, I have a house-elf that would be happy to pop me anywhere I want to go and the last I heard, you can't trace an elf's movements." Fred and George were now cracking up laughing._

" _Finally, the protections on this house? They use wardstones, right Bill?" The scarred redhead nodded, "Okay, how about you go out back, find the controls and reset them to protect a new location? Now assuming that the wardstones are small enough or can be shrunk without affecting their performance, they might be able to be attached to something like a car that could transport me to another location. During that transport, I can claim that the car is my home which is technically true as it does protect me from the elements." Some light groans were heard in the back._

_Hermione interjected with an eye on Bill, "But don't the protections have to be used on a non-moving residence?"_

_The redhead shook his head, "If it's the protections I think they are, no. They can be attached to anything that Harry can call home and again, if they use a specified time and date as a cancellation trigger, I can alter it to something a week later."_

_Harry held his hands out wide as if to say, "See? Simple works, convoluted gets you killed."_

* * *

As a result of that dousing of logic into the plans to move Harry, Mad-eye lived to see another battle. He did pick up a few new scars but that was only because he tripped trying to wedge himself into the Ford Fiesta someone picked. After the escape from the ill-fated (and timed) wedding at the Burrow, Harry and Hermione set up camp in the dingy unplottable house that Sirius hated so much. There was a brief moment of sorrow that Ron hadn't been able to join them buy since the boy had been standing next to his mother when the attack came, they were sure that he survived.

It was later that night after a meager dinner from whatever they were able to scrounge from the kitchen that Harry remembered about Dobby. He shook his head at forgetting about the elf but figured that with all the craziness that happened in such a short amount of time, he could be forgiven. He idly wondered what happened to Kreacher but as he didn't like the crotchety old elf and hadn't shown up when they arrived, Harry figured that maybe the thing had finally died. He called for Dobby and despite Hermione's complaints, bonded the elf to him to be his personal elf. Once that was done, Harry requested that Dobby go to his vault and pull some money in both Galleons and muggle money to buy some groceries as well as seeing about purchasing a trunk that they could use to store their more valuable items in. While Dobby was doing that, Harry laid out some ideas he'd had regarding the war and how to handle it. Hermione listened and took notes then offered her suggestions as well. All of it was moot until they could solve the problem of a proper base of operations. The house they were in was too unwieldy as well as being dangerous. The trunk Dobby brought back was this marvel of magical engineering and solved their immediate problems…

After getting it set up according to the instruction manual, Harry, Hermione and Dobby transferred everything they could from the house, including all of the safe books from the library, some portraits of the friendlier Blacks along with past Potter portraits. (Dobby discovered that there were a number of portraits squirreled away in the main Potter Vault belonging to Harry's ancestors.) The house within the trunk was of modest size, neither Harry nor Hermione believed in creating a monstrosity. The surrounding landscape was set to resemble the lush Southern English countryside. There was plenty of space for farming, a bit of logging and even mining if they were of the mindset to do so.

Hermione hit Harry with a look that spoke volumes; it was time to fight back.

* * *

**Present time**

Harry heard his name being called so he stepped out into the foyer leading to the stairs and greeted the first face he saw; in this case it was Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Kingsley! Glad you could make it. Come on down and make yourself comfortable." He ushered the man into his new living room. One by one, the others from the Order arrived and were sent down into the trunk where they marveled at the magic involved and the results.

Moody's eyes (both natural and magical) scouted out as much as he could before he grunted that the accommodations were 'adequate.'

Harry stood and addressed everyone, "Alright, listen up everyone. The reason why we've brought you here is because it's time to take the fight to the Death Eaters. For too long, we've followed the frankly idiotic bleating of a pacifist trying to save the unsaveable. Yes, I'm talking about Albus Dumbledore and no, I'm not sorry for speaking ill of the dead. It was his orders of stunning only that led to us being in the situation where we are now. So here's our plan, we use this trunk and the surrounding landscape to train to fight back. Hit them hard and take no prisoners. Harsh, I know but that's how war works. I'm tired of being restricted in what I can and can't do. By being nice to the enemy, by giving them too many chances; it's what led to the events of the past ten years when Death Eaters infiltrated the Ministry under the guise of being 'Imperioused.' That time has ended; if any of you feel that this is something you can't be party to, that's fine. We can always use you in a support or medical role."

As he finished his opening speech, Harry could see that about half of the adults were aghast at killing people while the rest (Moody was practically vibrating with excitement) were nodding their agreement.

"So, I'm sure you're curious as to how we're going to take the fight to them when we only have one certified ward-breaker and a handful of Aurors? Simple, we strike them using a method that can't be defended from. We strike from within."

Hermione now picked up the narration, "What our ideas have come up with is to utilize the elves to transport us into the Death Eater mansions and take out the inhabitants while they sleep. How you ask? There does not exist in today's world a ward that can keep out an elf. That same elf can then pop the trunk into an empty room or even a closet. We can emerge from the trunk, set up localized silencing fields and attack. Our exit would simply be done in reverse. The Aurors or another force could be called but they wouldn't be able to get in because the mansion wards hadn't been traditionally breached. They would have to use the floo but even then there'd have to be someone alive to give permission."

"Now, as much as Moody here would love to just jump in a strike while the iron's hot as they say, we need to do some training first. Six years of shoddy defense training, Moony notwithstanding, has left gaps in our education that need to be rectified. Plus, the adults here probably need a refresher course in combat techniques. What we propose is that we allow Moody to handle the tactics and training, Kingsley can assist as needed. If there is anyone here who can handle the medical side and that includes potion brewing, please see Harry afterwards.

* * *

The planning lasted for several more hours before everyone agreed to call it quits for the night. Molly had wanted to move in so she could be the one in charge of the domestic side but was denied by both Harry and Hermione with the reasoning that the Black House was only in use as a staging area. No one would be sleeping or eating there. Any of that would be taking place within the trunk but Harry was adamant that the house was _his_ and therefore Molly would not be allowed to ride roughshod over him. When she balked, Harry reminded her that she had already had a house.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm no longer that child who was rescued from being locked in his room with bars over the windows. I'm an adult and these are my rules." Arthur had to physically drag her out of the room and into the floo when she tried to assert her dominance.

Kingsley had asked how much the trunks cost and their availability, saying that it might be a good idea to get more so as to not limit themselves to just one location. Harry called Dobby so the elf could explain where he'd gotten them.

"Oh Mad-eye, one other thing in regards to supplies and communication; in the muggle world they have cheap, portable and disposable telephones that can be easily found in just about any of the shops where electronics are sold as well as the greengrocers. I think we should pick up as many as we can and teach the Order members on how to use them."

"Aye, laddie. Good thinking there," Moody grunted as he scratched at his chin, "Perhaps we should also see what's available in terms of supplies and clothing. If we could blend in amongst the muggles, any surprise attacks during the day would make up from the risky ventures into Diagon Alley."

* * *

**Time skip: 6 months**

It was approaching Christmas and the Second Blood War wasn't going good. For the Death Eaters at least… The Order of the Phoenix struck hard and fast with their expert teams of fighters, usually when the Dark Siders were safe and asleep in their beds. The Death Eaters were killed off either by a simple piercing curse to the head or by using novel items such as CO2 gas to snuff out the oxygen in the room and cause asphyxiation. Everyone else in the house (any children, elves, animals and spouses if they didn't have the Dark Mark) were obliviated of their memories to the point where they just found out they had magic. Anything else was removed; it was harsh but better to remove some memories than to live with the reality of killing children.

Bellatrix LeStrange was one such person who got the gas treatment. Her lightning fast reactions and paranoia would've made the 'traditional method' unsuccessful. It also helped that an elf went in after the witch was asleep and snapped her wand just enough that on first inspection seemed normal might've helped things along as well.

Walden McNair received a more fitting execution. He was captured and delivered to the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest via the Elvish Commando Unit. His was the fastest raid; in, out and delivered within fifteen minutes.

* * *

Injuries on the Light side were minimal at best. Thanks to their hard work and dedication as well as the disciplined training from Moody, bruises from taking a corner too fast or scratches from having to run through bushes were usually the only sign that a battle had taken place. The one time that a spell was cast at them was because one Death Eater had woken up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The Dark side however, it was getting to the point where the only ones who were safe were the ones ensconced at the Ministry. Dolores Umbridge was taken out in as gruesome a manner as possible. As a consequence for her constant belittling and restrictive legislation against weres, she was popped into one of the larger dens wrapped up in pretty ribbons with a note attached reading, "She's all yours. Have fun."

The muggleborns who had been rounded up for the supposed crime of 'stealing magic' were rescued from the camps and returned to their homes quickly and efficiently thanks to the tireless talents of the numerous elves who answered the call of duty. Dobby had been nominated to be the Field Marshall Elf and had taken to the new role with vigor unmatched since he'd bonded with Harry and was told that Grimmauld Place needed to be cleaned. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Hermione would've been giggling at the sight of Dobby in his combat fatigues and a sword hanging from his belt.

Three more trunks had been bought and delivered to Grimmauld Place where they were set up in the living room. The new trunks would then be connected to the main trunk so they could be dropped off via House-Elf Delivery to their targets.

* * *

It was during this time that Harry mentioned the mission that Albus had given him. Everyone was upset and aghast that such Dark magic was used let alone using it with such priceless historical treasures. Bill and Fleur Weasley were the primary contact team sent to deal with the Horcrux Hunt as they were the ones trained in cursebreaking. It was discovered that one of the Horcruxes was actually inside Grimmauld Place. They then discovered that Harry and his Parseltongue ability was needed to open it. It was during that same time that his scar had some sort of connection to these foul devices. A bit of research from Hermione, a call to Gringotts who had a list of all available muggleborn and Squib doctors or technicians in their area, then finally a trip to the hospital to get an MRI scan led to the decision to physically cut the scar tissue and subsequent Horcrux out of Harry's head. Once that was removed, his new wound could be healed magically without leaving any scars. The scar Horcrux was then hit with a Killing Curse.

There was another bit of happiness for the Light. Remus and Nymphadora (Tonks) Lupin found out that they were expecting their first child. Remus flew into a near panic that the child would have his condition and wanted to leave Tonks in a safe place while he joined Bill and Fleur on some cockeyed mission to hunt down the Horcruxes. Hermione made the suggestion that both Lupins be moved into one of the trunks since no one knew of their existence outside of the Order. That way she could be kept safe and Remus had ten cubic miles to run around in and pull his head out of his ass. Harry even went so far as to bring Remus to a consultation with one of the muggleborn doctors on their list to have them explain how genetics worked. It took about a week (and many books on the subject of genetic transference) before the werewolf calmed down.

* * *

The Final Battle happened not with a bang but with a silent cast of the Diffindo charm to Voldemort's neck. Dobby had personally popped a trunk into the throne room of Lord Voldemort where he was staying at Malfoy Manor then silenced the area around it. Harry emerged dressed in matte black as well as his Invisibility Cloak. His feet was silenced, his odors masked as he made his way into where the Dark Lord slept alongside his familiar, a snake known as Nagini. Harry laid down a gas canister and silently backed out of the room and sealed the door. The canister wasn't filled with CO2 though; this was a nerve agent, courtesy of the Weasley Twins, that would render its victims immobile for up to four hours.

Once the timer had counted down, the nerve agent released its deadly contents. Harry reentered the room wearing a gas mask this time and cast the charm on both the demon and the snake. As soon as that was done, a signal was sent to all members of the Order to seize the Daily Prophet so the message that the Dark Lord Voldemort had been killed and the order for all remaining Death Eaters and sympathizers to stand down and await further instructions.

The war was over.


End file.
